African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) and a number of other wildlife groups have signed onto a Statement of Concern addressed to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urging Japan to ban all domestic trade in ivory.

The East Asian country, along with countries such as China and Thailand, has a thriving domestic ivory market but remains a key destination for illicit ivory taken from poached savanna and forest elephants in Africa.

On April 25, conservationists from Central and West Africa will embark on a week-long trek through Cameroon’s Dja Faunal Reserve to determine levels of biodiversity and human activity in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.